The current R13 application will focus on diabetes, obesity, gastroenterology, cardiology, pulmonology, and nephrology subspecialty topics. The proposed title will be NMA 2017 Improving Health Disparities by Building an Equitable Future for Communities through Research and Practice. Scientific sessions will explore strategies to reduce health disparities in minority populations and the general populations at large. We will include early career investigators in our meeting to engage in networking, learn about the development of research tools, and generate early awareness of health disparities. Our selected award recipients will present research poster presentations in the general session along with general NMA presenters, as well as our R13 poster session. The highest scored abstracts will be invited to present their research in the form of a brief oral presentation. We also propose to invite the early career researchers to our Endo-Diabetes Session/IM Section Awards Dinner where they will have the unique opportunity to celebrate and network with IM Section members who have made significant contributions to the area of IM and to the careers of young investigators. We will conclude with small group discussions between awardees and senior faculty. There are four objectives to this conference session: 1) Provide a forum for cross- disciplinary exchange of ideas to further explore issues of health disparities in the areas of Diabetes, Obesity, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Pulmonology, and Nephrology. 2) Foster opportunities for early stage minority faculty and trainees to network and learn about current research in the internal medicine specialty including, Diabetes, Obesity, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Pulmonology, and Nephrology. 3) Promote opportunities for early stage faculty and trainees to present their research findings during the general NMA poster presentation session; and integrate the top recipients of the abstract submissions as oral abstract presentations within the appropriate Internal Medicine specialty presentations; and 4) Promote opportunities for early stage faculty and trainee investigators to interact with more senior investigators working in the internal medicine specialties to enable them the opportunity to establish professional relationships that will provide early career guidance and for those interested ?groom? them for future leadership in the NMA. These objectives are consistent with the mission of NIDDK in translating research findings from the bench to the bedside that will further impact health care outcomes in underserved populations.